Gary Blank | North Carolina State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Gary Blank

When compared to our undergraduate majors, students taking environmental courses to fulfill gener... more When compared to our undergraduate majors, students taking environmental courses to fulfill general education (or general studies) requirements have different knowledge bases, different interest levels, and different motivations for studying natural resources topics. Unlike foresters or wildlife managers or environmental scientists, typical business management, psychology, or accounting students are not inclined to memorize scientific names of X number of tree species or learn how to calculate hard mast yields per acre or care how to precipitate organic compounds from a sample solution. So how and what can we teach these students? How do these differences affect choices of appropriate teaching strategies, lecture topics, reading selections, assignment types, and testing? This paper will address pedagogical issues and rewards discovered while teaching a course titled Forest History, Technology and Society, a course that fulfills a general education requirement for students from across campus. The course time frame spans from western civilization's beginning until the contemporary period. Topics include an eclectic mix chosen to prompt examinations of values, perspectives, scientific understandings, and utilization alternatives affecting the status of forests at particular points throughout the span of history. This paper will examine how the interaction of that immense time frame and the eclectic range of potential topics necessitates identification of key concepts on which to focus the course. It will discuss the techniques used in designing assignments and creating examinations for its diverse student clientele with diverse interests and learning styles.

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues, 2002

The papers and abstracts that follow constitute the proceedings of the Fourth Biennial Conference... more The papers and abstracts that follow constitute the proceedings of the Fourth Biennial Conference on University Education in Natural Resources, held March 14-17, 2002, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The conference, hosted this year by the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University, addressed teaching practice, educational issues, and the scholarship of teaching in natural resources sciences and management. Participants numbered 124. Six workshops, thirty-nine session papers, and nine facilitated discussions filled two full days of energetic exchange. Nine posters presented varied teaching and educational research projects. Faculty and administrators, joined by graduate and undergraduate students, shared ideas and discussed issues arising from teaching and learning in the variety of natural resources programs that exist across North America. The camaraderie and genuine love for what we do remained apparent throughout the sessions and social interactions.

The LTSP study consists of a nationwide network of experiment sites designed to examine the long-... more The LTSP study consists of a nationwide network of experiment sites designed to examine the long-term effects of soil disturbance on forest productivity, one aspect of which is the growth of understory vegetation. Each installation features three levels of soil compaction crossed with three levels of organic matter removal imposed on a harvested site prior to planting. Intensive surveys of the understory vegetation were carried out on the Croatan LTSP site prior to and two years after treatment installation, focusing on the extremes of the soil compaction (no compaction, severe compaction) and organic matter removal treatments (bole only, whole tree + forest fl oor). We collected plant community data in the summer of 2006 to address the following objectives: (1) to characterize the current standing understory vegetation, (2) to determine the interaction of organic matter removal and compaction treatments fourteen years post-treatment, and (3) to compare current vegetation patterns with the pre-treatment and two years post-treatment vegetation. Preliminary results of an analysis of variance of 2006 vascular plant richness data, as well as a description of changes in species composition over time, are presented here.

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues, 1998

When compared to our undergraduate majors, students taking environmental courses to fulfill gener... more When compared to our undergraduate majors, students taking environmental courses to fulfill general education (or general studies) requirements have different knowledge bases, different interest levels, and different motivations for studying natural resources topics. Unlike foresters or wildlife managers or environmental scientists, typical business management, psychology, or accounting students are not inclined to memorize scientific names of X number of tree species or learn how to calculate hard mast yields per acre or care how to precipitate organic compounds from a sample solution. So how and what can we teach these students? How do these differences affect choices of appropriate teaching strategies, lecture topics, reading selections, assignment types, and testing? This paper will address pedagogical issues and rewards discovered while teaching a course titled Forest History, Technology and Society, a course that fulfills a general education requirement for students from across campus. The course time frame spans from western civilization's beginning until the contemporary period. Topics include an eclectic mix chosen to prompt examinations of values, perspectives, scientific understandings, and utilization alternatives affecting the status of forests at particular points throughout the span of history. This paper will examine how the interaction of that immense time frame and the eclectic range of potential topics necessitates identification of key concepts on which to focus the course. It will discuss the techniques used in designing assignments and creating examinations for its diverse student clientele with diverse interests and learning styles.

Evansia, 2017

BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting... more BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research.

Evansia, 2017

Three checklist tables are presented from collections made during a study of corticolous lichen c... more Three checklist tables are presented from collections made during a study of corticolous lichen community response to highway pollution in western Wake County, North Carolina, USA. A total of 103 species of lichens and three species of allied fungi were found, representing 64 genera in 36 families. Two allied fungi, Amphisphaeria bufonia and Rebentischia massalongoi, are recommended to be added to the North American lichen checklist.

The Bryologist, 2017

We studied lichen communities along forest edge-to-interior gradients on opposite sides of a majo... more We studied lichen communities along forest edge-to-interior gradients on opposite sides of a major highway and along a remote lakeshore in central North Carolina, U.S.A., to investigate highway pollution effects on this sensitive ecosystem component. At each site we sampled lichens on trees at 10 m intervals along each of five parallel transects established at the forest edge and at 25, 60, 100, and 150 m into the forest in the highway sites, with a similar layout along a nonlinear lakeshore in a similar forest type, from which transect distances from the forest edge were estimated using average tree distances from the nearest shoreline. Lichen communities were inventoried on tree trunks from the base up to 1.5 m height, then compared both among and within sites. Species richness was highest in the control site, and did not differ between the two highway sites. The highway sites were more similar to one another than either was to the control site, based on Bray-Curtis similarity indices. No associations were detected among sites and sampled lichen biotic components in terms of growth form, photobiont type or reproductive mode. In the highway sites, total transect species richness increased from the forest edge to 150 m distant. In the control site, species richness decreased from the forest edge to the most distant transect. Findings suggest a negative effect of highway pollution on species richness of lichen communities, but not on species composition by habit, photobiont type or reproductive mode. Despite the elevated NO x concentrations recorded along the highway, known nitrophilous species were largely absent, suggesting that other factors, including other pollutants, were affecting community structure near the highway.

Consensus emerges about defining characteristics and transformative potential of service-learning... more Consensus emerges about defining characteristics and transformative potential of service-learning. The challenge is to design effective service-learning experiences that nurture connections at the intersections of learning and service goals, disciplines, and institutional ...

HortTechnology, 2008

The Top-Stop Nipper (TSN), a four-bladed, hand-held tool developed for reducing leader growth of ... more The Top-Stop Nipper (TSN), a four-bladed, hand-held tool developed for reducing leader growth of Christmas trees, was used as a wounding technique to reduce leader growth of Fraser fir (Abies fraseri). A regression model, based on an apical bud volume index (average bud diameter squared × length), was used to predict the number of nips to apply to each leader to yield a target length of 25 to 36 cm. Treatments included control trees (0 nips) and one to seven nips per leader. Nips were applied in May at budbreak. In an earlier study, increasing the number of nips decreased leader elongation when randomly applied to trees without regard to the size of the apical bud. In this study, when the number of nips increased with increasing bud volume index, leader growth was similar among all TSN treatments. Bud density (per unit length) on the 2006 leader increased with the number of nips applied to the 2005 leader. Results might be useful for growers who want to produce dense trees with mini...

HortScience, 2009

Two methods of application, the Danish Easy Roller and the German Sprühsystem, were tested to eva... more Two methods of application, the Danish Easy Roller and the German Sprühsystem, were tested to evaluate the effectiveness of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at reducing leader growth (tips of primary axes) of fraser fir [Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir.] Christmas trees. A commercial product, Sucker-Stopper RTU (1.15% ethyl 1-NAA), was applied to leaders at concentrations of 0 to 500 mL·L−1 when leaders were 8 to 15 cm long. As the concentration increased, leader elongation decreased. The Easy Roller reduced leader growth the most, but leader mortality was unacceptable at concentrations 20 mL·L−1 or greater. Although less effective than the Easy Roller, the Sprühsystem caused negligible mortality of leaders. Applying 40 mL·L−1 with the Easy Roller yielded ≈50% of leaders with target lengths of 20 to 36 cm with little mortality. The Sprühsystem gave similar results at 250 mL·L−1. NAA might be useful for producing dense trees with minimal shearing or for producing more natural, open trees duri...

Faculty who assign team projects face decisions about their evaluation and the assignment of grad... more Faculty who assign team projects face decisions about their evaluation and the assignment of grades to individual students. Do they give everyone on the team the same grade or do they concern themselves with individual contributions? Do they try to ferret out free riders, ...

Evansia, 2017

Abstract. A seemingly undescribed Peltigera and several noteworthy collections were made during a... more Abstract. A seemingly undescribed Peltigera and several noteworthy collections were made during a gradient study examining highway effects on forest lichen communities in western Wake County, North Carolina, USA. Rebentischia massalongii is here newly reported from North Carolina. Acrocordia megalospora, Gyalolechia flavorubescens, and Porina scabrida are new records for the Piedmont ecoregion in the state. Lobaria quercizans is noteworthy as belonging to a group of pollution-sensitive cyanolichens that until recently have not been recorded from the Triangle area of central North Carolina. Historical occurrences of Triangle Lobariaceae are also presented.

Methods and approaches in forest history. Papers selected from a conference held in Florence, Italy in 1998., 2000

Trees provide important environmental, economic, and social benefits that can help to offset the ... more Trees provide important environmental, economic, and social benefits that can help to offset the negative effects of parking lots. Many cities recognize that adding space for trees in parking lots is beneficial and have created regulations that dictate minimum requirements for tree planting. However, it is not clear if tree plantings in parking lots achieve the urban tree canopy goals initially imagined by these communities. The study authors sampled parking lot trees in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., to determine how species composition and urban forest structure vary with respect to parking lot size, shape, and design. Using a two-stage cluster sampling scheme, Raleigh's parking lots were found to contain 44,000 ± 24,000 trees (95% confidence interval). No differences in tree composition were explained by the size or shape of the parking lots. Planting spaces within the parking lot that were preserved during construction were found to have more trees, canopy, and basal area per hectare than designed planting spaces in which the number, spacing, and species of trees were prescribed. Among designed planting spaces, large, linear rows had greater canopy and basal area per tree but fewer trees per hectare than smaller, circular islands. These results suggest that decisions made during the design process may have lasting effects on the structure and function of this portion of the urban forest.

In North Carolina's Research Triangle region, development pressures threaten open space. Expa... more In North Carolina's Research Triangle region, development pressures threaten open space. Expanding municipalities and suburban sprawl have isolated public lands as private landowners subdivide or sell to developers. Largeholdings owned by a private corporation and amassed to buffer a nuclear power facility and its reservoir remain intact. These holdings provide unexpected public benefits and foster conservation of a rare plant community type revealed through interdisciplinary research. The landowner's support for research and restoration underscore the important role private corporations can play in achieving community conservation goals.

Federal agencies in the US must evaluate the environmental justice implications of regulatory act... more Federal agencies in the US must evaluate the environmental justice implications of regulatory actions. 1 Environmental justice analyses frequently use demographic tests to determine whether regulated projects will disproportionately impact vulnerable communities, including American Indian communities.

In the United States, federal policies exist to ensure fair treatment and meaningful involvement ... more In the United States, federal policies exist to ensure fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental decision-making processes. Other policies exist to ensure that Indigenous groups are engaged meaningfully and respectfully in decisions that affect their traditional and present-day territories. Strong data analyses can support these policies, but weak analyses can work against policy goals and reinforce marginalization of Indigenous peoples and marginalized groups in general.

When compared to our undergraduate majors, students taking environmental courses to fulfill gener... more When compared to our undergraduate majors, students taking environmental courses to fulfill general education (or general studies) requirements have different knowledge bases, different interest levels, and different motivations for studying natural resources topics. Unlike foresters or wildlife managers or environmental scientists, typical business management, psychology, or accounting students are not inclined to memorize scientific names of X number of tree species or learn how to calculate hard mast yields per acre or care how to precipitate organic compounds from a sample solution. So how and what can we teach these students? How do these differences affect choices of appropriate teaching strategies, lecture topics, reading selections, assignment types, and testing? This paper will address pedagogical issues and rewards discovered while teaching a course titled Forest History, Technology and Society, a course that fulfills a general education requirement for students from across campus. The course time frame spans from western civilization's beginning until the contemporary period. Topics include an eclectic mix chosen to prompt examinations of values, perspectives, scientific understandings, and utilization alternatives affecting the status of forests at particular points throughout the span of history. This paper will examine how the interaction of that immense time frame and the eclectic range of potential topics necessitates identification of key concepts on which to focus the course. It will discuss the techniques used in designing assignments and creating examinations for its diverse student clientele with diverse interests and learning styles.

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues, 2002

The papers and abstracts that follow constitute the proceedings of the Fourth Biennial Conference... more The papers and abstracts that follow constitute the proceedings of the Fourth Biennial Conference on University Education in Natural Resources, held March 14-17, 2002, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The conference, hosted this year by the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University, addressed teaching practice, educational issues, and the scholarship of teaching in natural resources sciences and management. Participants numbered 124. Six workshops, thirty-nine session papers, and nine facilitated discussions filled two full days of energetic exchange. Nine posters presented varied teaching and educational research projects. Faculty and administrators, joined by graduate and undergraduate students, shared ideas and discussed issues arising from teaching and learning in the variety of natural resources programs that exist across North America. The camaraderie and genuine love for what we do remained apparent throughout the sessions and social interactions.

The LTSP study consists of a nationwide network of experiment sites designed to examine the long-... more The LTSP study consists of a nationwide network of experiment sites designed to examine the long-term effects of soil disturbance on forest productivity, one aspect of which is the growth of understory vegetation. Each installation features three levels of soil compaction crossed with three levels of organic matter removal imposed on a harvested site prior to planting. Intensive surveys of the understory vegetation were carried out on the Croatan LTSP site prior to and two years after treatment installation, focusing on the extremes of the soil compaction (no compaction, severe compaction) and organic matter removal treatments (bole only, whole tree + forest fl oor). We collected plant community data in the summer of 2006 to address the following objectives: (1) to characterize the current standing understory vegetation, (2) to determine the interaction of organic matter removal and compaction treatments fourteen years post-treatment, and (3) to compare current vegetation patterns with the pre-treatment and two years post-treatment vegetation. Preliminary results of an analysis of variance of 2006 vascular plant richness data, as well as a description of changes in species composition over time, are presented here.

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues, 1998

When compared to our undergraduate majors, students taking environmental courses to fulfill gener... more When compared to our undergraduate majors, students taking environmental courses to fulfill general education (or general studies) requirements have different knowledge bases, different interest levels, and different motivations for studying natural resources topics. Unlike foresters or wildlife managers or environmental scientists, typical business management, psychology, or accounting students are not inclined to memorize scientific names of X number of tree species or learn how to calculate hard mast yields per acre or care how to precipitate organic compounds from a sample solution. So how and what can we teach these students? How do these differences affect choices of appropriate teaching strategies, lecture topics, reading selections, assignment types, and testing? This paper will address pedagogical issues and rewards discovered while teaching a course titled Forest History, Technology and Society, a course that fulfills a general education requirement for students from across campus. The course time frame spans from western civilization's beginning until the contemporary period. Topics include an eclectic mix chosen to prompt examinations of values, perspectives, scientific understandings, and utilization alternatives affecting the status of forests at particular points throughout the span of history. This paper will examine how the interaction of that immense time frame and the eclectic range of potential topics necessitates identification of key concepts on which to focus the course. It will discuss the techniques used in designing assignments and creating examinations for its diverse student clientele with diverse interests and learning styles.

Evansia, 2017

BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting... more BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research.

Evansia, 2017

Three checklist tables are presented from collections made during a study of corticolous lichen c... more Three checklist tables are presented from collections made during a study of corticolous lichen community response to highway pollution in western Wake County, North Carolina, USA. A total of 103 species of lichens and three species of allied fungi were found, representing 64 genera in 36 families. Two allied fungi, Amphisphaeria bufonia and Rebentischia massalongoi, are recommended to be added to the North American lichen checklist.

The Bryologist, 2017

We studied lichen communities along forest edge-to-interior gradients on opposite sides of a majo... more We studied lichen communities along forest edge-to-interior gradients on opposite sides of a major highway and along a remote lakeshore in central North Carolina, U.S.A., to investigate highway pollution effects on this sensitive ecosystem component. At each site we sampled lichens on trees at 10 m intervals along each of five parallel transects established at the forest edge and at 25, 60, 100, and 150 m into the forest in the highway sites, with a similar layout along a nonlinear lakeshore in a similar forest type, from which transect distances from the forest edge were estimated using average tree distances from the nearest shoreline. Lichen communities were inventoried on tree trunks from the base up to 1.5 m height, then compared both among and within sites. Species richness was highest in the control site, and did not differ between the two highway sites. The highway sites were more similar to one another than either was to the control site, based on Bray-Curtis similarity indices. No associations were detected among sites and sampled lichen biotic components in terms of growth form, photobiont type or reproductive mode. In the highway sites, total transect species richness increased from the forest edge to 150 m distant. In the control site, species richness decreased from the forest edge to the most distant transect. Findings suggest a negative effect of highway pollution on species richness of lichen communities, but not on species composition by habit, photobiont type or reproductive mode. Despite the elevated NO x concentrations recorded along the highway, known nitrophilous species were largely absent, suggesting that other factors, including other pollutants, were affecting community structure near the highway.

Consensus emerges about defining characteristics and transformative potential of service-learning... more Consensus emerges about defining characteristics and transformative potential of service-learning. The challenge is to design effective service-learning experiences that nurture connections at the intersections of learning and service goals, disciplines, and institutional ...

HortTechnology, 2008

The Top-Stop Nipper (TSN), a four-bladed, hand-held tool developed for reducing leader growth of ... more The Top-Stop Nipper (TSN), a four-bladed, hand-held tool developed for reducing leader growth of Christmas trees, was used as a wounding technique to reduce leader growth of Fraser fir (Abies fraseri). A regression model, based on an apical bud volume index (average bud diameter squared × length), was used to predict the number of nips to apply to each leader to yield a target length of 25 to 36 cm. Treatments included control trees (0 nips) and one to seven nips per leader. Nips were applied in May at budbreak. In an earlier study, increasing the number of nips decreased leader elongation when randomly applied to trees without regard to the size of the apical bud. In this study, when the number of nips increased with increasing bud volume index, leader growth was similar among all TSN treatments. Bud density (per unit length) on the 2006 leader increased with the number of nips applied to the 2005 leader. Results might be useful for growers who want to produce dense trees with mini...

HortScience, 2009

Two methods of application, the Danish Easy Roller and the German Sprühsystem, were tested to eva... more Two methods of application, the Danish Easy Roller and the German Sprühsystem, were tested to evaluate the effectiveness of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at reducing leader growth (tips of primary axes) of fraser fir [Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir.] Christmas trees. A commercial product, Sucker-Stopper RTU (1.15% ethyl 1-NAA), was applied to leaders at concentrations of 0 to 500 mL·L−1 when leaders were 8 to 15 cm long. As the concentration increased, leader elongation decreased. The Easy Roller reduced leader growth the most, but leader mortality was unacceptable at concentrations 20 mL·L−1 or greater. Although less effective than the Easy Roller, the Sprühsystem caused negligible mortality of leaders. Applying 40 mL·L−1 with the Easy Roller yielded ≈50% of leaders with target lengths of 20 to 36 cm with little mortality. The Sprühsystem gave similar results at 250 mL·L−1. NAA might be useful for producing dense trees with minimal shearing or for producing more natural, open trees duri...

Faculty who assign team projects face decisions about their evaluation and the assignment of grad... more Faculty who assign team projects face decisions about their evaluation and the assignment of grades to individual students. Do they give everyone on the team the same grade or do they concern themselves with individual contributions? Do they try to ferret out free riders, ...

Evansia, 2017

Abstract. A seemingly undescribed Peltigera and several noteworthy collections were made during a... more Abstract. A seemingly undescribed Peltigera and several noteworthy collections were made during a gradient study examining highway effects on forest lichen communities in western Wake County, North Carolina, USA. Rebentischia massalongii is here newly reported from North Carolina. Acrocordia megalospora, Gyalolechia flavorubescens, and Porina scabrida are new records for the Piedmont ecoregion in the state. Lobaria quercizans is noteworthy as belonging to a group of pollution-sensitive cyanolichens that until recently have not been recorded from the Triangle area of central North Carolina. Historical occurrences of Triangle Lobariaceae are also presented.

Methods and approaches in forest history. Papers selected from a conference held in Florence, Italy in 1998., 2000

Trees provide important environmental, economic, and social benefits that can help to offset the ... more Trees provide important environmental, economic, and social benefits that can help to offset the negative effects of parking lots. Many cities recognize that adding space for trees in parking lots is beneficial and have created regulations that dictate minimum requirements for tree planting. However, it is not clear if tree plantings in parking lots achieve the urban tree canopy goals initially imagined by these communities. The study authors sampled parking lot trees in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., to determine how species composition and urban forest structure vary with respect to parking lot size, shape, and design. Using a two-stage cluster sampling scheme, Raleigh's parking lots were found to contain 44,000 ± 24,000 trees (95% confidence interval). No differences in tree composition were explained by the size or shape of the parking lots. Planting spaces within the parking lot that were preserved during construction were found to have more trees, canopy, and basal area per hectare than designed planting spaces in which the number, spacing, and species of trees were prescribed. Among designed planting spaces, large, linear rows had greater canopy and basal area per tree but fewer trees per hectare than smaller, circular islands. These results suggest that decisions made during the design process may have lasting effects on the structure and function of this portion of the urban forest.

In North Carolina's Research Triangle region, development pressures threaten open space. Expa... more In North Carolina's Research Triangle region, development pressures threaten open space. Expanding municipalities and suburban sprawl have isolated public lands as private landowners subdivide or sell to developers. Largeholdings owned by a private corporation and amassed to buffer a nuclear power facility and its reservoir remain intact. These holdings provide unexpected public benefits and foster conservation of a rare plant community type revealed through interdisciplinary research. The landowner's support for research and restoration underscore the important role private corporations can play in achieving community conservation goals.

Federal agencies in the US must evaluate the environmental justice implications of regulatory act... more Federal agencies in the US must evaluate the environmental justice implications of regulatory actions. 1 Environmental justice analyses frequently use demographic tests to determine whether regulated projects will disproportionately impact vulnerable communities, including American Indian communities.

In the United States, federal policies exist to ensure fair treatment and meaningful involvement ... more In the United States, federal policies exist to ensure fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental decision-making processes. Other policies exist to ensure that Indigenous groups are engaged meaningfully and respectfully in decisions that affect their traditional and present-day territories. Strong data analyses can support these policies, but weak analyses can work against policy goals and reinforce marginalization of Indigenous peoples and marginalized groups in general.